TEPAK: Solution to high rents with the student family accommodation program

The prohibitive rents in Limassol have brought dozens of young men and women to despair

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The prohibitive rents in Limassol have brought to despair dozens of young men and women who either start or continue their studies at the Cyprus University of Technology, which adopts the family hospitality program to solve the problem.

At the moment, it was the only realistic thing that could be done, a tested and widespread program abroad, an alternative shelter for many students, the head of the Study and Student Care Service of TEPAK, Vassilis Protopapas, tells KYPE.

For the new academic year, TEPAK has only 80 rooms in the city center and another 205 in the student residences of the Archdiocese, while there is a need for a total of 1200 rooms, said Mr. Protopapas, indicating that owners are asking up to 800 euros for the rental of a studio and from 1200 to 1800 euros for a two-bedroom apartment, depending on its condition.

The lack of supply of apartments for rent and the large increase in rental prices, especially for the new academic year, combined with the limited time and patience that students have to find housing, often leads to their exploitation by landlords, indicated Mr. Protopapas.

As TEPAK, he added, we decided that something had to be done, "after we found that there are children, outside of Limassol, who have no other choice but to not even start or to ask for suspension of schooling and we have cases of such children and families who are in despair" .

Since the program was announced last week, already about 15 people and families have responded, who have an additional room in their home, where they can host a student, for 200 euros per month.

"We would ideally like them to be hosts who are not doing it for the money, although it is understandable that it is a motivation," said the head of TEPAK's Studies and Student Welfare Service, adding that the program includes "policies, codes of conduct and procedures so that all sides feel safe".

"We will check the accommodation before introducing students, the students will get to know the hosts, so that everyone is sure about this cohabitation and we believe in this institution, which works successfully abroad", he added.

Asked about this, Mr. Protopapas said that, although the ideal would be for these houses to be located near the center of the city, where TEPAK is also located, "we know that this is difficult and we cannot afford to exclude any area, it is enough there must be a bus route nearby, as long as the student does not have his own means of transportation".

A permanent solution to the issue of student housing will of course be provided by the development in the former British settlement "Berengaria", in Kato Polemidia, where student residences with a capacity of approximately 700 beds are expected to be built.

The plans have been completed, said Mr. Protopapas, and TEPAK will go out to bids so that the construction works can begin in 2023, with a completion horizon in the next 3-4 years.

The "affordable roof" housing project that the Municipality of Limassol continues to promote in collaboration with the Cyprus Land Development Organization, through the construction of 600 residential units in three municipal blocks, two in Agios Nikolaos and one in Agios Ioannis.

"We believe that such a large-scale intervention in the market can only have a positive impact on the formation of prices for rent or the purchase of housing", the Mayor of Limassol, Nikos Nicolaidis, told KYPE, adding that the project can satisfy the needs of families as well as students , based on specific criteria.

We are, he continued, "in the final planning stages of Phase I and an effort is now being made to readjust to the new data by differentiating the construction costs and financial data of KOAG, while our goal is to start work on the first apartment building, in Agios Nikolaos , before the end of the year".

Tomorrow, Wednesday, the Municipality of Limassol and KOAG will discuss the course of the project, as part of their regular meetings, Nikos Nicolaidis concluded in his statement.

The demands of the owners of a number of properties that remain vacant in the historic commercial center of Limassol, Anexartisias Street, are also recorded at high levels, the representative of the shopkeepers of the city center, Christis Dimitriou, also reported to KYPE.

As Mr. Dimitriou explained, while for old tenants the prices remain at the same levels as before the pandemic and the energy crisis, the requirements for renting 4-5 large available properties are excessive.

This, he continued, is also related to the success and prospects of the city's most historic shopping street, following the opening of a major clothing chain and the expected operation of a number of luxury hotels.

Finally, he indicated that a number of properties that are currently closed on Anexartisias Street have been bought by foreign investors, who will proceed with developments in the immediate future.

Source: KYPE